Ukraine has asked the Vatican to formalize its role facilitating negotiations for the return of Ukrainian children and civilians taken by Russia during the war.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio says that the Vatican can be a venue for Russia-Ukraine peace talks.

At Masses across Rome and socioeconomic lines, Catholics prayed the next pope focuses on poverty and peace days before the conclave that will elect Pope Francis’ successor.

“Conclave” the film may have introduced moviegoers to the spectacular ritual and drama of a modern conclave, but the periodic voting to elect a new pope has been going on for centuries and created a whole genre of historical trivia.

The Vatican says the conclave to elect a successor to Pope Francis will begin on May 7.

The death of a pope triggers a centuries-old ritual to elect a new one.

Pope Francis’ Ukraine peace envoy has discussed the need to resume the stalled Ukraine grain export deal to feed the world’s hungry during a meeting with a Chinese official in Beijing.

Pope Francis’ peace envoy will meet with President Joe Biden in Washington this week as part of the Holy See’s peace initiatives for Ukraine.

Pope Francis’ peace envoy for Ukraine has blasted war as a “pandemic” and said all Christians are called to be peacemakers.

Italy’s Catholic bishops have provided their first-ever accounting of clergy sexual abuse.

The new president of the Italian Conference of Bishops says he would launch an independent inquiry on sex abuse by Catholic clergy in Italy.

Pope Francis has named a bishop in his own image as the new head of the Italian bishops conference.